


Abnormality

by Nariva



Category: Fate/Zero
Genre: Alternate Universe - Religious, Crossover, DEAD FIC, F/M, Fae & Fairies, Gen, Identity Reveal, Secret Identity, fairy ex machina
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-08
Updated: 2018-01-13
Packaged: 2018-09-21 02:49:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9528566
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nariva/pseuds/Nariva
Summary: Kirei Kotomine does not summon an Assassin as planned. Instead, the false Holy Grail throws a wild card into the mix.





	1. Servant

     "I ask of you," he questioned, bowing before the dark haired man, "are you my Master?" Startlingly empty eyes met his, dark and glassy. Within them, the barest hint of confusion flickered briefly.

     "You are not Assassin," the statement rang frankly between the two, a near emotionless observation that made the Servant want to laugh. Of course he was not an assassin! He openly bore his trusted sword and shield, none would mistake him for being one of them upon looking.

     "I am not," the Servant agreed, cocking his head at the muted reaction his statement gained.

     "What are you, then," the man asked, utterly ignoring the question he had asked. Very well, the Servant thought, he would answer as his Lady had bid him.

     "You may call me Lan," he answered, giving his Master a smile, "what may I call you, Master?"

     "Kotomine." The answer, still in that strange bland tone, hung between them for a moment.

     "Master Kotomine," Lan tried the name, relaxing from his bowed position. It had a strange ring to it, and the language differed greatly from his native tongue, but still. It would suffice, for now. Lan looked beyond the man, observing the room around him in awe, letting his gaze settle on the strange contraption that hung above him. It provided not the gentle glow of fire that he had expected, but a harsh brightness that basked the entire room. Light fixture, his mind supplied him, images of its uses and strange origin flickering through his mind. How, though? "Light... fixture," he muttered the words, rolling its meaning around as he stood. Such a strange world, this was quickly revealing itself to be, so different from the one he had been pulled from. The weight of a gaze pulled his eyes from the delicate thing, and he felt the beginnings of flushed embarrassment creep up his neck as he once again met Master Kotomine's eyes. "Forgive me, my Master," he apologized. "How may I serve you?"

 


	2. Handmaiden

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Forced to attempt a murder, Lan found himself in the holy presence of the King of Heroes.

    Lan looked up at the silent heavens, basking in the faint light cast from the distant town below even as he hid his surprise at his summoning. His Master had not spoken to him since the day they had first met, and as the Servant had been left to freely travel the town, he had wondered if he had failed his Master in some way. It never failed to bring the sting of unhappiness, so he had turned his attention to the strange new place around him. And truly, Lan's time in this world had been one filled with such wonder! Light, paved roads, houses, all filled his days with fascination. Cars! _Planes_! How they filled his heart with fascination! Once he returned to his Lady's side, he would be able to regale her for days and nights about his time in this wonderful place!

     "I heard from the Church that the Seventh Servant, Caster, has appeared," his Master spoke, a bland statement that pulled him from his thoughts.

     "I understand, my Master," Lan replied, "then it is to start?"

     "Indeed," Master Kotomine confirmed. "Let us not waste time." Oh? He was to have a task so soon? "I'd like you to go to the Tohsaka manor." Master Tohsaka? Lan had assumed they would be pursuing his Master's enemies. Why, then, would he be returning to their ally's side?

     "And?" Lan asked, careful to keep his tone respectful.

     "With your abilities, you should be able to make it through the barrier that fortifies the Tohsaka Manor," the reply came, as if his Master were simply stating the obvious. What did he- Understanding dawned on the Servant, and he stared in horror at his Master's back. He would have him attack their ally?

     "Are you certain," Lan asked, praying that he had assumed incorrectly, "I thought you and Master Tohsaka were allies."

     "Do not concern yourself with that," the man instructed, "you have nothing to fear, even should you end up facing Archer."

     "But," did the man hear himself? Did he truly understand what he was saying? He was telling Lan to betray the alliance they had formed! "Master Kotomine- I, I cannot do this. We formed a covenant of trust under the eyes of God, to break it-!"

     "You will do as I say," his Master spoke once more, the marks upon his hand glowing. "I command you, spirit- disable the barrier and kill Tohsaka." Lan's breath hitched as his body slowly turned, and he strained in futile hopelessness to escape the power of the command issued to him. Like a puppet on strings, he descended the hill slowly, muscles straining with the effort to stop. To turn around. To do anything but what he was doing. To no avail, for he found himself standing upon Master Tohsaka's lawn, his drawn sword gleaming in the pale light of the moon. The command stopped him just short of the glimmering barrier, and he felt it sit back within himself, waiting for him to make his move. He felt bile bubble at the back of throat as he wet his lips, felt the command's cold satisfaction as he spoke.

     "Beloved," he whispered the prayer, eyes turning toward the starry night sky. "I ask of you, grant me safe passage." Slowly, the air around him shimmered, and he cautiously extended a hand- breathing a sigh of torn relief as it passed harmlessly through the barrier. "Thank you, my Lady," Lan said, his Master's command once more forcing his feet forward. He neared his target easily. The barrier's heart lay exposed before him, a simple red jewel that glittered in the moonlight. The knight's hand jerked upwards, shaking as it slowly extended against his will. He gritted his teeth, eyes fixed upon the jewel-

     "You dirty little worm," a voice he did not recognize spoke, filled with righteous indignation. Lan turned his gaze upwards in surprise, seeking the owner of the voice, and was met with a sight that nearly took his breath away. The man stood high above, regal in armor of splendid gold. Gilgamesh, his mind supplied him as he laid eyes upon the man's sharp face, King of- Wait.

 

 _King_.

 

Dread flooded the knight, his blood fleeing from his face as horrified realization set in. _He had trespassed on a King's domain_. And he had done so in the shadows of the night, like a common thief, with dark intent. It had not been of his own will, but such things mattered not where royalty was concerned. Training from the distant past brought him hard to his knees, head bowed before the sovereign man.

     "Forgive me, your Majesty," Lan chocked out, his voice low. "I- I did not know this was your domain." The glint of metal caught his eye, and he looked down at his bared blade. He sheathed it as quickly as he could, casting it to the side with shaking hands. Forgive me, Lord, he desperately prayed, keeping his gaze fixed upon the dull grass before him. I did not know! And the drawing of his blade, it had been instinctual! To raise a weapon against one chosen by God- Beloved, he lamented, I have committed unforgivable sins!

     "You know your place, good." The rich voice spoke once more, and Lan dared not move. "A shame, then, that you dared to sully my ground with your dirty feet." He flinched at that, unable to stop his gaze from once more flickering upward. The glory of one chosen by God met him, an ever expanding array of weapons set against golden skies. He would die here, of that Lan held no doubts. Beloved, he thought with his last moments, picturing her in his mind. The Lord would cast him down for his sins, and Lan would never see her sweet face again. It made his heart clench, that he would be torn once more from her. Beloved, he thought, as gleaming weapons shot forward. Arms, slender and white as the purest of snows, wrapped themselveself firmly around his waist. Thrown off balance, he had no choice but to follow as they tugged him backwa- _bright lights, the feeling of harsh winds beating upon his face_ \- and the world jerked once more into place. Lan coughed, doubling over as he tried to regain his whereabouts. They stood once more upon the hill, the knight found, his Master staring at the two of them with wide eyes.

      "Sorcerer," his rescuer spoke, and Lan felt surprise course through him as he recognized the woman, for she was his Lady's eldest handmaiden. Her gaze like the brightest of flames, she spoke once more in their stunned silence. "You would dare to force your will upon my Lady's knight? You would dare to use magic, the gift of our realm, against him?" Lan flinched at her cutting tone, his Master's dark eyes betraying surprise at her unearthly appearance. "Master," she repeated his thoughts, sickened. She turned to gaze upon the human's command seals, renewed hatred gleaming in her eyes. "The monstrosity that ripped you from her side would make you call this human _Master_?"

     "My maiden," Lan spoke quickly, trying to calm her. He held no love for his Master, true, but the handmaiden held powers no human could withstand. If she turned them against the man...

     "Fear not, gentle heart of my mistress," she spoke once more, her voice slowly calming as she looked to him. "I will not harm the... human. He is merely a servant of that _thing_." She lifted a single hand, pointing towards the red markings that adorned the human's hand. "By magic, you were made, ill markings. From magic,  _my Lady is._  Heed her words well, chains, and bind her knight no further, for I will sustain his presence here. Tell your corrupted master this- force your sickened wishes upon her knight once more, and _she will destroy you herself_." Lan watched, dumbstruck, as the markings upon the human's hand wavered, slipped off like droplets of water. The human slowly lifted his unblemished hand, his dark gaze going to the handmaiden in the most open display of emotion that Lan had ever seen from the man. She dismissively turned from the other man, her eyes once more for him alone. "Come, sir knight," she spoke, her voice soft and warm again. "You need not obey him any longer. Show me this town, instead, that I may learn what has come to pass." In a haze, he accepted her outstretched hand.


	3. Planes and Challenges

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lan had never thought he'd see the man's face again, nor had he hoped to.

     "-and the people get into the..." Lan struggled for a moment with the word, feeling his cheeks go flush as he looked away from the handmaiden in embarrassment. He would forever be thankful for her timely intervention last night, but the partial severance of the _thing_ that had brought him back to the world of men had left him without the voice's guidance. Alone, now, he floundered in this strange new world. "Plane," he finally grasped the word, flashing an embarrassed smiled at the handmaiden. "They get into the plane, and it goes into the sky! Truly, our Lady should arrange a meeting with the sorcerer Emirates- his power is truly astounding!"

     "Emirates?" She questioned, gazing upwards to track the plane in solemn contemplation. "I have never heard of such a sorcerer."

     "Never?" He asked, startled at her words. His Lady liked to keep track of such people of power, that they would be completely unaware of such man-! She nodded, her eyes tracking the plane's ascent as she considered the revelation. "Then the King he serves keeps him well hidden, if he has escaped your notice." Lan frowned at the thought of the mysterious sorcerer and his unknown king- their actions, or rather, _lack_ of actions troubled him. He had hoped that a welcoming party would eventually seek them out, yet it had been several days since the arrival of his Lady's handmaiden, and not a single knight or lady had sought them out. Had their truly arrival gone wholly unnoticed? Or had civility to foreign visitors fallen to the wayside? He bristled with affront at the thought, then thought of his own homeland, and worried. Would the King or Queen who ruled there now recognize the handmaiden's station, or would they too ignore her status? How would he be expected to answer such disrespect? But no, the knight thought, surely the manners of his own people had not declined so much. They would receive a warm welcome, he decided, one appropriately fitting for his Lady's-

     "Perhaps," the handmaiden slowly mused, pulling him from his thoughts as she sat back, "we were too dismissive of this world." She turned her violet gaze to the sky above, tracking the many stars as they swung on predetermined paths. "In truth, Sir La-" The fair woman caught herself, clapping a small hand to her mouth as she looked at him. "Forgive me, good Sir," she apologized, and he gave her an untroubled nod.

     "You were saying, my lady?" He asked, wishing to ease her near guilt, and the woman gave him a small smile.

     "In truth, Sir Lan," she began again, "it has been many seasons since any of our kind have set foot on this place. I am the first being of fae nature to walk these human grounds in many generations." Lan looked at her, his eyes going wide at her words.

     "You speak the truth?"

     "I do," she assured him, her bright gaze briefly lowering as she frowned. "And... it troubles me. This world has changed beyond my recognition, grown beyond anything I could have imagined- how? Our fight with the Darkness is a sacred duty that cannot be ignored, but to blind ourselves to all else, to miss the growth of this land..." A stirring of power drew Lan's attention from the woman, and he stood from the bench, his hand going to the hilt of his sword as he looked about. "I too feel it," the maiden quietly reassured him, her gown rustling as she moved to stand at his side. "One of your opponents has made themselves known." Such a challenge could not be ignored, no matter how much he wished to do so. He was his Lady's representative in this world- to flee from a such a chivalrous allowance of choice would bring shame to her. No matter how much he wished to forget the call of battle, to further marvel at his odd surroundings, duty required him to abandon such desires. Duty. He thought once more to the King of Kings, to his cold, removed words. A worm. It made him shiver, even in the warmth of the night. Such apathetic disregard for his life- it made him painfully aware of how little power that he, a single knight, held when compared to a king. If not for the intervention of his Lady's handmaiden... Lan shivered once more, his fingers dancing nervously along the hilt of his sword. How was he supposed to fight such a man like that? No, forget surviving in battle, how was he supposed to fight _at all_? If Lan dared to lift his blade against the man, the very wrath of Heaven itself would descend upon him. Yet he could not deny the challenge, could still feels the remains of the dark magic silently encouraging him to seek them out. "Shall we, Sir Knight?" The handmaiden asked, and he gave her a reluctant nod, offering his arm to her as they started forward.

 

     The pulsing power at last led them to a darkened place, large boxes towering above them as Lan and the maiden stepped into the dim light. 

     "Welcome," a voice spoke from the darkness, and Lan stepped closer to the handmaiden. "I have spent the whole day searching the city, yet everyone slinks away, hiding in their little holes." At last the speaker broke from the shadows, revealing himself to a handsome man of pale complexion, his face framed by hair like silk. He lightly held two spears, and gave the handmaiden his attention as he spoke. "My Lady," the stranger graciously greeted the handmaiden, bowing before her. "That your knight alone has the valor to answer my challenge, it speaks highly to his person." Eyes near the color of gold turned to Lan, and a flicker of confusion passed through them. "You... are not Saber?" the Servant addressed him, glancing back in the direction of the approaching third presence. "It appears I was mistaken." Saber? What, or who, was Saber?

     "I am not," Lan confirmed, seeking not to engage in a battle sullied by mistaken identities. "You may call me Lan."

     "Lan," the handsome man repeated, his gaze flickering downward. "Lan," he said again, frowning up at the knight in slowly growing disapproval. "You'd give a false name in place of your title?" Lan blinked at the accusation, confused at it.

     "No, Sir Knight." Lan felt safe in making the assumption- for what else could the stranger before him possibly be? Even though he wielded spears, with not a sword or shield in sight, he held himself much like the knights of Lan's past. "I do not lie."

     "You jest," the man muttered, his gaze going hard and narrow. "I'd know your name, if you spoke the truth." Ah, the knight wanted his _full_ name. It made him uncomfortable, to deny such a simple request, but his Lady had asked it of him, and he had sworn to never again betray her.

     "Forgive me, Sir Knight," Lan apologized, hoping his sincerity showed true, "but I cannot give you my full name. My Lady asked it of me, and I cannot break that promise."

     "Your Lady," the other man quietly murmured, his gaze flickering down before he gave a single nod. "Keep your promise, then," he allowed, "and know me as Lancer."

     "Thank you, Lancer," the knight spoke, relieved that his opponent had not chosen to press the matter. Movement from the handmaiden drew his gaze away from the other man, and he watched as she turned from them both, a frown gracing her fine features. Two more figures approached, one in clad in white, the other in black. As they neared the small group, Lan could gradually make out more and more of the two. The one in white was a woman, he saw now, her features white like snow, delicate and thin. The man-

 _Arthur_.


End file.
